Free Web NovelChapter 87: Chapter 60: Still Not Dead After Ten Thousand Years?
This time, there were no further accidents. As he absorbed the Spirit Veins one by one, Xuzhuang grew increasingly adept. By the time the last Spirit Vein was fully drawn into the Glazed Truth Condensing Pot, eighteen days and nights had passed.
Xuzhuang opened his eyes and exhaled softly. He didn’t rush to retrieve the Glazed Truth Condensing Pot hovering just above his crown. Instead, he pointed a finger. A five-colored slurry suddenly poured from the Glazed Pot’s spout and landed on him. No mist rose; it was instantly refined by Xuzhuang, and the Magical Power he had expended over the past dozen-plus days was replenished in the blink of an eye.
A satisfied look appeared in Xuzhuang’s eyes. ’This pot can indeed refine even Superior Spiritual Truth,’ he thought. ’With it, I can bypass the effort of refining Spiritual Truth during my cultivation. A pity this isn’t the right time for it.’
Only then did he turn his palm upward and softly utter, "Withdraw!" The Truth Condensing Pot flew into his palm, and he put it away.
Having done this, Xuzhuang pondered for a moment before taking the Vermilion Gourd from his waist. He sent his Spiritual Sense inside and, just as he expected, saw a brilliant rainbow light suspended quietly within the gourd’s inner space.
Absorbing the Spirit Veins had required his full concentration, so Xuzhuang hadn’t had a chance to take stock of his gains. He wasn’t particularly concerned about whatever other treasures Jiri Lie might have possessed, but this Rainbow Light Flying Sword was a different matter.
This was the first time Xuzhuang had ever obtained a true Magical Treasure Flying Sword, so he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation. ’If I could refine this sword and combine it with my Swordsmanship, how powerful would that be?’
With a single thought, Xuzhuang sent his Magical Power probing inside, trying to envelop the rainbow light. The light immediately reacted violently, thrashing about wildly. In the blink of an eye, it nearly broke out of the gourd to flee.
’So it really is a Magical Treasure Flying Sword refined from a beam of rainbow light. What incredible skill.’ A flash of admiration crossed Xuzhuang’s eyes, but he soon found the sword’s resistance incredibly troublesome. He had no choice but to withdraw his Magical Power, and only then did the sword gradually calm down.
The Rainbow Light Flying Sword had spent countless years inside this Grotto Heaven. Though it had been nourished by a Spirit Vein, preventing it from degenerating back into a Magical Artifact, its internal restrictions had grown extremely weak.
This was not a critical issue, however. While the internal restrictions were weak, they weren’t incomplete. The sword still possessed its power, and it wasn’t impossible for it to grow strong again.
However, Magical Treasures were different from Magical Artifacts. Unless one possessed the specific Sacrificial Refining Method or earned the approval of the treasure itself, it was impossible for anyone to refine it.
Although Xuzhuang had this special Vermilion Gourd, which functioned like a Sword Box capable of containing the sword, he lacked the Sacrificial Refining Method. To make matters worse, the Flying Sword’s spirituality was shockingly potent and fiercely resisted his attempts at refinement, leaving him in a very difficult position.
In this situation, it seemed the only option was to somehow erase its core spirit, dissipate its internal restrictions, and force the Magical Treasure to devolve into a Perfect Magical Artifact. But if he were to do that, it was uncertain if it could ever ascend to the level of a Magical Treasure again.
Such a method would be a terrible waste of a priceless treasure. Besides, for Xuzhuang, a Perfect Magical Artifact flying sword was rare, but not unobtainable.
After hesitating for a moment, Xuzhuang decided to set the matter aside. He took several yellow talismans from his sleeve and affixed them to the Vermilion Gourd, adding another layer of security, before hanging it back at his waist.
’I’ve been in this Grotto Heaven for more than ten days, and I haven’t seen anyone besides Jiri Lie. I wonder what the situation here really is?’ Xuzhuang thought. ’I should probably head deeper toward the sect gate. I might find traces of the others and be able to regroup.’
Unwilling to delay any longer, Xuzhuang leaped into the air. Riding a streak of light, he flew back out of the mountain’s core through the opening the Rainbow Light Flying Sword had carved. He didn’t race away, however, but came to a sudden halt.
The world outside was just as he remembered, but the lush green mountain peak that should have been before him had been replaced by a thousand-zhang-tall iceberg. It was a translucent blue, its surface perfectly smooth, with a single deep cavern entrance directly facing the exit from the mountain’s core.
Where on earth had this iceberg come from? When had it appeared? And how had it replaced the mountain before him? Xuzhuang had been completely unaware.
Xuzhuang activated his Dharma Eye and peered into the cavern. As expected, it was too deep to see the bottom. After a moment of thought, he suddenly turned and darted back along the mountain slope. In moments, he was off the path and far away from the spot.
He hadn’t gotten far when his gaze shifted. After rounding another peak, the thousand-zhang iceberg was once again before him, its deep cavern entrance facing him directly.
"So it’s determined to haunt me." A glint flashed in Xuzhuang’s eyes. He suddenly raised two fingers to form a Sword Technique, and a beam of light shot from his body. It stretched dozens of zhang long, slicing through the howling mountain winds as it struck the iceberg!
The Sword Qi immediately dissipated, yet the ice surface remained as pristine as ever, without a single crack.
Xuzhuang frowned slightly. This time, he didn’t try to go around it. Instead, he leaped up, transforming into a streak of light and flying straight toward the iceberg. As expected, there were no restrictive barriers to stop him.
’Since I can’t avoid it, I might as well see what kind of trickery is at play.’ Cautiously, Xuzhuang descended from his streak of light and landed at the cavern entrance. A purple qi rose from his body, enveloping his robes as he stepped inside.
The entire mountain was made of solid ice, but surprisingly, he felt not the slightest hint of cold when he landed on it. The entrance had appeared dark and deep from the outside, but it was bright within. An unknown light source illuminated a winding ice staircase that led downward.
Xuzhuang did not let his guard down. Keeping the purple qi protecting his body, he descended the ice staircase. After about a quarter of an hour, the space suddenly opened up before him. He was in a chamber that resembled a glacial cavern. The floor was perfectly flat, as though man-made, but the ceiling was hung with countless stalactites and icicles, while ice pillars of varying sizes stretched from the ground to the roof.
Beyond that, the cavern was completely empty, looking for all the world like a natural ice grotto.
However, an ice pillar in the very center of the cavern instantly drew Xuzhuang’s gaze. Behind its deep blue, icy surface, a human figure was faintly visible.
The person sat cross-legged inside the pillar, perfectly still. Though clearly visible to the naked eye, when Xuzhuang swept the area with his Spiritual Sense, he found nothing, as if the space was empty.
The distorted surface of the ice prevented Xuzhuang from making out the person’s appearance, yet he dared not relax for an instant. From the moment he entered the chamber, he had felt a gaze fixed upon him.
Xuzhuang’s eyes narrowed. ’This person is definitely not one of the people who entered this Grotto Heaven with the Five Peaks Commanders. If they aren’t from the outside, could they have survived in here for thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years? To live that long and still not die... what does that even imply?’
Xuzhuang glanced back. Sure enough, the ice wall was seamless; the tunnel had vanished. Taking a shallow breath, he instantly quelled his racing thoughts and steeled his heart. Instead of retreating, he advanced, striding boldly to the ice pillar. He clasped his hands in a formal salute, but before he could speak, a voice resounded directly in his mind.
"Forgive my presumption for bringing you here, young friend. Please do not take offense."
The voice was polite and affable, but Xuzhuang dared not show any disrespect. He replied, "This junior, Xuzhuang, pays his respects to you, Senior."
"There is no need for such ceremony, young friend," the voice demurred, then asked, "Observing your Daoist techniques, I presume you are a member of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect? To which generation do you belong?"
Xuzhuang replied, "This junior is indeed a contemporary true disciple of the Tai Su Sect. My Daoist name is Daomiao."
"Oh? So the Tai Su Sect has already passed down for seven more generations," the voice said, filled with emotion.
A tremor went through Xuzhuang’s heart. He asked respectfully, "Might I be so bold as to ask who Senior is...?"
The voice chuckled and replied: "I was but a rogue Daoist of the mountains, who chanced upon the true way at its very source. I cultivated with diligence, daring not to slow, and finally earned the Ancestor’s notice. My name, Xuchenzi, was entered in the treasured register; then I forged the Golden Core by gathering Kan and Li. After a thousand years of training, enlightenment I attained, and leaped beyond life and death to join the host of immortals."
